Page 35 of Devious
She stands in front of me, staring at my dressing and my abs, then her cheeks turn rosy red. “Define freedom.”
“You’ll get an iPad.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Nothing right now.”
Shaking her head, she leaves the room. I grab my phone from my pocket and dial Aiden’s number. He picks up on the fifth ring. “What’s up, bro?”
“Are you busy?” I ask.
“Not at this particular moment.”
I need to regroup and strategize because once Cashel finds out I killed his brother, he’ll try to retaliate as much as he can, and I need to be prepared for it.
“Come by. Call up everyone for afamigliaemergency.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He hangs up the phone.
Roselyn
Ineed a bottle of whiskey and a lot of patience to deal with Devious. The last two weeks he’s been getting on my last nerve, making me wait on him hand and foot. He hasn’t touched me either, and I don’t ask him why. But it’s odd because I can’t get the way he spanked me out of my mind. I wanted him to stick his dick inside of me while he fucks me good, and I shouldn’t want that from him. He treats me better than my father, but I still want to get away from him. He did keep his word and allowed me to have an iPad and the only thing I can do is draw on it, but that’s it. I tried to log into social media, but it’ll log me back out, so I can’t do anything, really. I should have known that he wasn’t going to allow me to have access to the outside world.
Most days, I barely speak a few words to him, and he locks himself up in his study. Some nights, he’ll wake up screaming at the top of his lungs, and it shakes me to the core, but I don’t ask him about it because I don’t want to be in his business, and I don’t think he will tell me. I told myself that I would try to get along with him, but sometimes, I find myself wondering what happened between him and his previous wife to make him so cold. I still hate him. I hate him for keeping me as his captive and forcing me to marry him in order to pay Father’s debt. Who goes around collecting people as payment for debt?
A few of his underbosses stroll into the manor at odd hours of the night. I’ve seen Papa here a few times, and he doesn’t bother saying anything to me, and I don’t either. As far as I’m concerned, he’s dead to me. Since I’ve married Devious, he has not checked in on my well-being, nor did he try to help me when I called him, but I shouldn’t expect much from him. I was a debt that needed to be paid. And he doesn’t care if Devious is abusing me, otherwise, he would have come to my rescue when I asked him. He’s glad to get rid of me anyways.
I sit on the lounge chair, sipping a Coke and reading aMy Hero Academiamanga. I’m bored, and there isn’t much I can do. I ran out of inspiration for painting. Binx lies on his bed, sleeping hard. I lean down and stroke his belly as he purrs.
Devious stands next to me with his shirt off, in a pair of workout shorts, studying me like I’m a lab rat. I try to keep my eyes off his chest, but I can’t help it. He smells like fresh soap, and his hair is damp. His eyes are intense, and they travel up my bare legs. Heat creeps up my neck.
Devious isn’t much of a talker. Sometimes, he’s so quiet that I don’t realize he’s even here at the manor. I fold my arms across my chest, wrinkling up my white shirt.
Curiosity gets the best of me, and I want to know more about the man who has a heart that’s as black as night. The man is worse than my worst nightmare.
“Did you grow up here in the States or Italy?”
He places his hand on my thigh, squeezing tight, and my whole body stiffens. “My great-grandfather was the first one to arrive here in America and started the Italian mafia.”
I pick at the dead skin around my finger. “Why don’t you ask anything about me? Are you planning on being a complete stranger to me?”
“I already know everything I need to know about you,” he says.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Exhaling, he lifts my chin and my gaze locks on his. “You’re a sneaky, reckless, underhanded brat, but your heart is the size of the ocean, and you are nurturing. You’re a pain in my ass, and sometimes I want to fuck the shit out of you.”
Devious is observant but doesn’t let on. You think he’s not paying attention, but he is, and he doesn’t let you know what he knows, so it will put him a step ahead of you. I need to watch what I say in front of him, or else I’ll be digging my own grave.
I playfully punch him in the arm. “Gee, thanks for the compliment,” I say.
“You have a trait that makes you sexy.”
I cock my eyebrow. “Which is?”
“Bravery. No one is brave enough to try to kill me to protect themselves. It made you stupid, but it also makes me think you’re brave. You’re not scared of me, despite what I put you through. No one has tried to kill me, where I spared their life.”
“It’s a lie. I was afraid of you the night of our wedding.”
